Turkish police have arrested a man named Bilal for selling ordinary tap water as the sacred Zamzam water from Mecca. Initial investigations revealed that he had been running this scam for the past five months, earning at least $2.5 million or 9 million liras (equivalent to 300 million Bangladeshi Taka).
Further investigations found that he had been selling 20 tons of “Zamzam water” daily, making a daily income of $22,000 or 60,000 liras.
Police arrested him on Sunday and seized 15 tons (15,000 liters) of tap water from his business premises, which he had stored to sell as “Zamzam water.”
From the outside, it was impossible to tell the scam, as the water was stored in jars made in Saudi Arabia, all labeled with the Saudi government’s seal. However, Bilal admitted that the labels were fake.
For Muslims, Zamzam water is considered extremely sacred. The demand for this water is very high in Turkey. During any religious occasion, people in Turkey prefer to drink Zamzam water. During the holy month of Ramadan, Zamzam water is even sold in bottled and canned forms across Turkish shops.